Marking device for the production of data carriers



May 12, 1959 J. SOBISCH 2,886,107

MARKING DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DATA CARRIERS Filed March 19, 1957 a Sheets-Sheet 1 Irn e/non' Johannes Sobisch J. SOBISCH May 12, 1959 MARKING DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DATA CARRIERS 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 19, 1957 MARKING DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DATA CARRIERS Filed March 19, 1957 J. SOBISCH May 12, 1959 8 Sheets-Sheet v 3 w NS Inventor. Johannes Sobisch May 12, 1959 J. SOBISCH MARKING DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DATA CARRIERS 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 19, 1957 J. SOBISCH May 12, 1959 Filed March 19, 1957 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 fm eman' Johannes SObISCh W tum E wimwmw M o 000 00 .00 0 O OO 0 OOO O 0 OQOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOQOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO mZ P O OOOOOO N Qm OOO DO O O z 9, 02 5:32 ima M 25024 win ma HaDOmO HQDOKO HZEMZOU May 12, 1959 J. SOBISCH 2,886,107

MARKING DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DATA CARRIERS Filed March 19, 1957 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 j'm emon' Johannes Sobisch May 12, 1959 J. SOBISCH 2,836,107

MARKING DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DATA CARRIERS Filed March 19, 1957 a Sheets-Sheet? STACK ACCT. N0.

NORMAL Inventor Johannes Sobisch J. SOBISCH May 12, 1959 MARKING DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DATA CARRIERS Filed March 19, 1957 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 .lm emar: Johannes Sobisch MARKING DEVICE FOR rnnrnonucrro ly OF. DATA, CARRIERS Johannes Sobisch, Bielefeld, Germany, assignor to Anker- W'erke,Aktiengesellschaft; Bilefeldu Germany, a corpomtionpEGermanyQ Myuinvention relates tokeyboard controlled accounting, computing and other business machines operating with punched cards to serveas data carriers.

Following the, trend toward automation, it- 1139133311 attempted. toavoid insuch machines any manual punching and checking of data-carrying cards that may impede the. desired fluencyqof performance, Such machines,

therefore, have. ,been provided with marking devices which, simultaneously with theprintingand computing of accounting. items, entertheseitems as punched holes or other scannable marks on a data-carrier tape. The tape thus processed serves for the control of a card puncher in which the'data or values memorized on the tape are automatically transferred onto ordinary punched cards.

It has been. found. that the five-element code,- internationally used .for 'teleprinters, is particularly suitable for the storing .ofdata on the above-mentioned tape, be-

cause .this .code permits minimizing the dimensionsof the tapetand affords conveniently. communicatingtthe stored data through a teleprinter to any, desired location.

In known devices for punching such a tape, there are as many puncher rods .or plungers as there are hole positions in .a column or line, thus requiring the punching of the, tape to occur stepwise. The data to be punched into. the tape can then readily be translated into the fiveelement code of the teleprinter. tape. These devices are advantageous in cases where the tape puncher is coupled with a typewriter, because all data and values can be is sued sequentially, position byposition, into the typing machine. In other cases, for instance a if the machine that punches the tape is a keyboard-controlled registering machine in which all data. and values are simultaneously posted or available in the machine, a stepwise punching of the tape is applicable only if all data are first memorized and are thereafter punched stepwise into the tape. Such an operation, however, permits a new registering operation only afteralldata previously entered into an intermediate memorizing device are transferred into the punched tape. This greatly impairs the operating speed c of the registering machine.

It is an object of the invention to obviate such dis advantages.

To this end and in accordance with a feature of my. invention, I provide for all hole positions of a tape portion which is to comprise all information of an item.

recording card, a number of punching plungerswhich are simultaneously selected in all columns in accordance with a five-element code,by respectively different projections of displaceable selector bars that are controlled by respective stop magnets whose electric, circuits are. sequen-. tially closed in a given numerical sequence by means of a pulse distributor moving in synchronism with the selector bars.

According to another feature of my invention ,the closing sequence of the electric circuits into which the coded data, to be punched into the tape are translated, is

irregular as compared with the normal numerical .se- 7. ant t at d Thais, an c li p occupying the stop magnets of the-respectivef selector bars in the normal sequence 01-2--34--56--78 9 for the values 0 to 9,? the above-mentioned pulse distributor successivelyselects the stop-magnet circuits in such an irregular sequence as .to thereby reduce the number of required selector projections and thus also the distance which each selector bar must travel. According to a more specific feature of my invention, relating to the selection sequence preferable for punching the values 1 to 0 in the generally acceptedinternational five-unit code, this sequence is 6 548- l ---O-2---7- 9-- 3.

I am aware that a tape punching device has become known in which, for all hole positions of a tape portion to comprise the information of an item recording card, i

there are provided punchingplungers which are likewise her or digital valuein the known device is represented by an individual hole, whereas a device according to the present invention requires that each individual number, letter or other character be embodied in a five-element code combination.

If an attempt were made, in analogy to the known de-.

vice,.to use selector barswhich are controlled by electric circuits toselect combinative groups of punching plungers for the production of five-elernent-code hole combinations, then the representation of the: code would result in selectorbars. of excessive length requiring: particuIar'guid ing means and demanding: excessivewspace. In contrast, my. inventiomby virtueof the fact that the selector bars have respectively difierent groups of projections and are arrested .byrespective. electricfcircuits which are successively connectedwith a voltage source in an irregular numerical sequence, aflfords a greatly simplified device for simultaneouslyuselecting all punching plungers assigned to the: totality of .hole combinationsthat may appear on. a tape portion. The selector barsin such a. device need not have a length appreciably greater than that..of.theut selector ,bars in known, punching. devices for business machines. Hence, the, tape ipunching. apparatus. accord! ing to theiinventionlcanlbe givenacompact, .easily supervisable design of reliableperformancea The tape feedingdevice ofthezmarking apparatus. per-. mits. advancing the tape stepby step... However, the por-.

tions of the tape which are to .receivethe contents of re-. spective punched cards are difierent in size; For instance, those punched holes which appear only oncebecause they. denote. constant data, .such as the: identification of a I branch oflice,.occupy a smaller portionof the. tape than the normal .punchings that may denotean account nuInberand the amounts tOwbG entered... Similarly the hole that denotes the. occurrenceof a registering error occupies always only one column of the punched tape. According;.,to another feature ,of the invention, therefore, the feeding device ofthe marking apparatus is made variable so that the tape can be advanced selectively alongthe...

hole-punching plungers either by portions of the tape or by individual steps According to still another featureof the invention, the

, marking apparatus is provided .with switching means which 1 .afidrd also connecting the, marking apparatus to registering nachines thatpossess onlyone keyboard orequivalent posting, assembly, for. registeringiaccount numbers as well I as mounts.andwhichaccordingly, perform the registering operation in .two. successive machine runs :for entering l the data appertaining to a, singleaccounting transaction.

The above-mentioned, and morespecific objects, ad-

vantages, and ,teatures. of the ,invention will. be. apparent Patented May: 1 2, '9

from, and will be mentioned in, the following description of the embodiment of a marking apparatus according to the invention illustrated on the drawings in which:

Fig; 1 is a side'view partly in section; Fig. 2 is a'plan view; and Fig. 3 is a front view partly in section, of the marking apparatus.

Fig. 4 shows separately a detail of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows separately a detail by a side view corresponding to that of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 shows an example of a portion of the punched tape.

Fig. 7 is a side view of a device, forming part of the machine, for translating mechanically posted data in an accounting machine into electric circuit connections.

Fig. 8 is a front view of the device shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a sectional and partial side view of an accounting machine; and

Fig. 10 is a schematic circuit diagram of the entire machinery.

In the embodiment of the invention chosen for illustration, the marking apparatus is designed as an individual subsassembly which is connected by means of electric leads with a particular business machine such as a cash register, calculating machine, accounting machine or the like. For simplicity the machine is hereinafter simply referred to as accounting machine" although it will be understood that the same marking apparatus is applicable for business machines serving other purposes.

The accounting machine is provided with a conventional keyboard (Fig. 9) into which the amounts and other characters to be entered are posted by depression of corresponding push-button keys. The amounts and other characters thus posted are transferred, also in conventional manner, to a number of spur gears 606 (Figs. 9, 7, 8) of which the one illustrated is shown mounted on a shaft Q 601. Actually, the machine is provided with a number of coaxial spur gears 606 of the same size, each actuated from an individual bank of keys and mounted on one of a number of concentric shafts which are tubular with the exception of the innermost shaft 601 shown in Figs. 7 to 9. Hence in the following the shaft 601 is considered to represent the entire tubular shaft system as known for instance from U.S. Patent 2,690,710, issued October 5, 1954 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

A translating device generally denoted by 600 in Figs. 7 and 8 scans the posted values and characters off the spur gears 606. In dependence upon the rotational displacement of each spur gear, the device 600 translates the posted characters into corresponding electric circuit connections and, by maintaining these connections, keeps the posted data memorized until they are transferred into themarking apparatus proper. The same tubular shaft system 601 with its spur gear 606 and the translating device 600 also serve to translate into electric circuit connections those posted commands that effect a desired selection of the banks of computing or adding mechanisms of the accounting machine, and these control commands are likewise stored in the translating device. The bank of keys illustrated in Fig. 9 serves for posting such control commands. A number of control contacts denoted by :1 to :11 in Fig. 10 are correlated to the control-key bank shown in Fig. 9 and likewise have the purpose of forming electric circuits for special control or programming operations described in a later place.

The various mechanisms and other components of the marking apparatus are mounted on a stationary framecomposed of two rigidly interconnected side walls 1, 2

ing gear'S (Figs. 1, 2) which is rotatably joumalled on a bearing block 4 "and is driven from an electric motor M through a worm gear 6. The single-turn clutch 151 is '4 normally arrested in a fixed starting position by a latch pawl 8 pivoted at 812 (Fig. 1) to block 4. Latch pawl 8 can be released from the clutch by the armature of an electromagnet KM. When this happens, the main control shaft 54 of the marking apparatus is driven from motor M for the duration of a single revolution, whereafter the latch pawl 8 again catches the single-turn clutch and arrests the shaft 54.

Pinned to the main control shaft 54 are two axially spaced cams 9 (Figs. 1, 2). The two cams 9 cooperate with respective three-legged drive levers 11 each pivoted on a pin 10. During a full single-turn rotation of cam 9, a roller 12 joumalled on the cam engages a leg 14 of the drive lever 11 and first turns the lever 11 clockwise about its pivot 10. Thereafter a roller 16 journalled on leg of lever 11 is engaged by cam 9 which turns the drive lever 11 back in counter-clockwise direction.

Two guide plates 17 and 18 (Figs. 1, 3), each provided with a multiplicity of holes are rigidly fastened to each other by two bolts 19 so as to form an interspace through which a paper tape 20 can pass (Fig. 2). The paper guide 17, 18 is rotatably linked by means of the bolts 19 with the respective legs 22 (Fig. l) of the two drive levers 11. The paper guide 17, 18 is displaceably mounted by means of four bearing bolts 23 (Figs. 1, 2, 3) and, by the reciprocating motion of the drive levers 11 in clockwise and counter-clockwise direction, is first lifted and then lowered relative to Fig. 1. Two bearing plates 25, 26 are firmly secured to bolts 23 by screws and are provided with respective rows of'holes for guiding a multiplicity of plungers 28 above the paper guide 17, 18 (Figs. 2, 3). Downward displacement of plungers 28 causes them to punch respective holes into the tape 20 located between the plates 17 and 18 of the paper guide. A group of serially aligned punching plungers 29 (Figs. 1, 2) are firmly attached to plate and serve to punch transport holes 30 (Fig. 6) into the tape in a manner described below.

Mounted on and between the side Walls 1 and 2 are comb-like supports 31 (Figs. 1', 2) in which a number of parallel selector bars 32 are slidably guided. Each selector bar 32 has at one end a stop-control rack 33 and has its other end provided with a series of rectangular projections 34 (Fig. l) of different mutual spacing or different width.

In Fig. 2 only the uppermost and lowermost selector bars 32 are shown in full whereas all intermediate bars 32 are shown partly broken away in order not to obscure other components of the apparatus.

As is apparent from Fig. 1, each selector bar 32 for controlling the punching of value-denoting code-hole combinations has eight projections 34. These projections are the same on the respective selector bars. Their width and mutual spacing as illustrated in Fig. 1 corresponds to the internationalfive-unitcode for the ten numbers 1 to 0 if these numbers are arranged in the sequence 6-5-4 8--10-27-93 in accordance with the illustration of the number code in Fig. 6. Consequently, when the bar 32 in Fig. 1 advances one step toward the right, it controls the plungers to punch the hole combination 6 (Fig. 6); when the bar advances a second step, the hole combination 5 is punched, and so forth. In this manner only eight projections 34 are required to punch all ten hole combinations, as compared with as many as twenty-four projections and the much longer bar length and bar travel needed if the step sequence, as known, were regularly progressing.

Some of the selector bars 32 are connected by respective springs 35 with a control head 61 (Figs. 1, 2). The other selector bars are connected by similar springs with a control head 62. The control heads 61 and 62 are displaceably mounted in slots 38 of respective side walls 1 and 2. Control head 61 is further guided in guide links 64 which are secured to the control head 62 and provid'ed with a guide slot 63 (Figs. 1, 2). A rack '65 is fastened to eontrol head-fl and meshes with a spur gear I 66 (Figsl) of an ele ctric pulse distributor IV mounted on the side wall 1.

Two-pivotpins 39 and 40 (Fi'g. 2) are riveted into respective sidewalls 1 and 2. Rotatably mounted on the pivot pins are respective spur gears 41 and 42 which mesh with -respective spur gears 43 and 44 pinned onto. the

main control shaft 54. Eachof gears 43 and 44 is firmly joinedwith a crank disc/i6 or 47. Two connecting rods 69 (Fig. 2) haye one end linked at 6% to control head 61, therespective other ends of rods 69 being linked to crank discs 46 and 47 at 6%. During rotation of main control shaft 54, the spur. gears 41, 42, 43, 44, acting upon the discs 46, 47 and the connecting rods 69, move the control.

heads 61, 62 and the selector bars 32 first toward the right and thereafter ,back to the illustrated starting position relative to Fig.1. e of control head.61, the rack 65 rotates the spur gear 66 and its shaft 67, which carries a contactarm 68 (Fig. 1) of the pulse distributor IV; As a result, the contact arm 68 slides over the stationary distributor contacts 1V6, 1V5,

1V4, 1V8, 1v1,1v0, 1V2, 1V7, 1V9, we, in the irregular sequence,.here given, and. thereafter slides in the reverse I direction over the same contacts back to the illustrated starting position.

Located above each reciprocable selector bar 32 (Fig 1) is a stop pawl 49swhich is pivoted on a transverse rail 48 mountedbetween side walls 1 and 2. The stop pawls 49 are controlled by respective pull members 51 which,

in turn, are controlled by respective electromagnets 53 mounted on supports 52xthat are fastened to the side walls l, 2.

In Fig. 1 onlyjone of the six magnets 53 visible in the illustration, namely the cheat the right-hand end of the. magnetgroup, is connected by a short pull member 51 s The other magnets with the one selector bar 32 shown. 7 53 acttupon the stop pawls 49 of respective other selector bars 32 through pull members 51 of respectively diiferent length... Several such groups of stop magnets are provided so that there. is a separate magnet for eachof the selector bars.

During suchforward and return travel By excitation of any one stop magnet 53 the correlated,-

selector bar 32, when traveling toward the right relative to Fig. 1, can be stopped. Theexcited magnet 53 then attracts its armature 55 thus moving the one appertaining pull member-.51 toward the left (Fig. 1), whereby the appertaining stop'pawl 49 is moved into engagement with therack 33 of the selector bar.

During the above-mentioned travel of each selector bar towardthe right (Fig. l) the projections 34 of the selector bar pass over the tops of the punching plungers 23 (Fig. 3). appertainingcontrol magnet 53, a selected one or more of the projections 34 are in registry with one or more selected ones of the punching plungers.

Angular supports 81 and 82 (Fig. 5) are firmly secured to the control heads 61 and 62 respectively. Pivoted on.

the armature 93 of an electromagnet SpM acting upon.

an arm 94 of the latch lever 92. When lever 92 is turned counter-clockwise by operation of magnet SpM, an angle piece 95 (Fig. 1) mounted on control head 62 catches behind a shoulder recess 92a of thelever 92 as soonas the angle piece on head 62 travels toward the right beyond the recess. The latch lever 92 then prevents the return movement of the control head 62 under the biasing force of two springs 91 (Fig. 2) attached to the angle piece 95. Onlywhencontrol head 61 is again drivenstoward the Consequently, when a selector bar is stopped bythe of controlhead 61 toward the, left. However, if the magn e t Sp M. remainsexcited so that latch lever 92 stays displaced counter-clockwise, the control head 62 is again retained in displaced position.

Driving motion for the tape feeding .device is derived from. the. main control shaft 54 of the. marking.

apparatus. For thispurpose, a spur gear96. (Figs. 2,

3) is pinned ontp the main control shaft 54 andmeshes witha spur gear .98 journalled on a pivot. pin 97 on side wall. 1. Spur gear 98. is coaxially joined with a bevel gear 99 meshing .with a bevel. gear 100 (Fig. 2).

Gear. 100, is mounted on a shaft which is journalled'.

in a bearing.101.and carries a crankarm 102 (Figs. 2, 1) pivotally linked with a drive lever 103 (Figs. 2, 3).

A forked portion. 104 (Fig. 3) of lever 103 straddles a pin 106 mountedon a swing arm (Figs. 3, 1). The swing arm 105 has a bushing 107..by means of which it is seatedon ,a drive shaft so as to be freely rotatable relative thereto. The drive shaft 110 (Figs. 3, 1) is journalled between the stationary walls 108 and 109 which, as described, are firmly joined with side walls, 1, 2 and form part of the journalling frame. of the apparatus. The drive shaft 110 is rigidly C0117.

nected with a control gear (Fig. 3) which has peripherally sequential tooth divisions 112, 113, 114 of. respectively different peripheral length. Control gear 115 is further providedwith a radial projection ,117 to which a ratchet pawl 118 is pivoted. A spring 119',

biases pawl 118 into engagement with, the, teeth of a ratchet geer121 .pinned onto the drive shaft 110. A leafspring spiral, suchas a clock mainspring, is disposed upon the bushing 10 7 (Fig. 3), and jtends to turn bushing 107 and hencecontrol gear 115 and swing arm 105 in the clockwise direction (Fig. 3). A clockwise motion,

however, is normally prevented by the .pin 10 6; of swing l arm 105 which is restrained by the .fork ,104 of drive lever 103.

A spur gear. 123 (Figs. 3, .1) is rigidly mounted on drive shaft110 and is ,in driving engagement with a spur gear 124 rotatably journalled on the wall structure 108 and in meshing engagement with. a driven .pinion 125. Pinion 125 is journalled on a pivot pin 126 mounted l on wallstructure 108 and is firmly joined with a locking gear 127, The locking gear 127 is coaxially joined with a feed roller 129 provided withesprocket bosses 128 (Figs; 1, 2, 3). Also mounted on the supportingstruo ture 108 is a pivot pin 130 (Figs. 3, 4) upon which an angular latch lever 131 is rotatable. Lever 131 has a latch nose 132 which, in the latching position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, enters into the teeth of locking gear 127. A latch 134pivotally mounted on wall structure 108 and biasedcounter-clockwise (Fig. 3) by a spring 133 normally retains the angular lever 131 in the position shown in Fig. 3 in which a leg 135 of lever 131 abuts against a shoulder, recess134a of latch 134. The latch 134,

'pivoted at 13412, has-another arm136 which cooperates, in a manner still to be described, with the crank pin 1370f a crank arm 102 (Figs. 3, 4).

An angular lever 140 (Fig. 4) rotatably mounted on intermediate wall 108 by means of a pivot pin 138 and biased clockwise by a spring. 139, places itself against an extension 142 of the angular lever 1131 when a control magnet TVM, mounted on intermediate wall 108, receives energizing voltage and attracts its armature thus acting upon. the angular lever 149 in opposition to the biasingforce ofspring 139 and turning the lever 140,

counter-clockwise. The angular lever 131 (Figs. .3, 4)

is providedwith .a pivot pin 14 3, onwhicha switching pawl 144 is mounted. A pull member 145 connects pawl 144 witha switching magnet SM (Fig.3). When magnet SM is energized, its armature, acting through pull member 145, turns the pawl 144 counter-clockwise into engagement with one of the teeth 112, 113, 114 of the switching gear 115. When the switching magnet SM is not energized, the pawl 144 which is normally urged by a spring (not illustrated) against a stop 146 on lever 131, can be engaged by a dog pin 116 (Fig. 3) mounted on swing arm 105.

Assume that the main control shaft 54 of the marking apparatus is being driven for the duration of a single full revolution. Then, during the first 180 of revolution, the main control shaft 54, acting through the spur gears 96, 98 and the bevel gears 99, 100 upon the crank arm 102, drives the connecting rod 103 into the position illustrated in Fig. 3, while the crank pin 137 of crank arm 102 turns the latch 134 clockwise about its pivot 134b in opposition to the pulling force of spring 133. This releases the angular lever 131 which, under its own weight, turns clockwise about its pivot 130 and releases the locking gear 127. The displacement of connecting rod 103 toward the right (Fig. 3) just described, also has the effect of turning pin 106 and swing arm 105 counter-clockwise about shaft 110. Thus the clockwork spring 122 is wound up and tensioned. The wind-up motion has no effect upon the spur gear 123 which through the intermediate gear 124 is connected with pinion 125, because, as mentioned, the swing arm 105 and the switching gear 115 are freely journalled upon the shaft 110, and because the ratchet pawl 118 when moving counter-clockwise will freely pass over the teeth of the ratchet gear 121.

During the further rotation of the main control shaft 54, within the above-mentioned single revolution, the connecting rod 103 is shifted back to the left (Fig. 3) so that now the wound-up clockwork spring 122 turns the swing arm 105 together with switching gear 115 clockwise. Now the pawl 118 is in engagement with ratchet gear 121 so that the ratchet is entrained and turns the shaft 110 together with the spur gear 123 pinned on that shaft. Spur gear 123 drives the intermediate gear 124 which turns the pinion 125 clockwise. As a result, the paper tape 20, passing through the paper guides 17, 18 and punched in a manner still to be described, is entrained by the sprocket bosses 128 of the feed roller 129 and is advanced until a voltage pulse is applied to the switching magnet SM which, by means of pull member 145, turns the switching pawl 144 of angular lever 131 into one of the teeth 112, 113, 114. The pawl 144, now travelling upward together with the rotating switching gear 115, lifts the angular lever 131, and the latch nose 132 of lever 131 enters into the teeth of locking gear 127. At the same time, the latch 134, pulled by its spring 133, snaps into the position shown in Fig. 3 and retains the angular lever 131 in latched position. From then on, the locking gear 127 and the feed roller 129 can no longer rotate, and the tape feed is stopped.

As will be recognized from Fig. 3, the extent of feeding travel thus imparted to the paper tape 20 is determined exclusively by the moment at which the switching magnet SM is excited. When magnet SM is excited immediately upon commencement of the rotary motion of switching gear 115, the pawl 144 engages the tooth 112 of gear 115. When magnet SM is excited at a later moment, pawl 144 enters in front of tooth 113; and when excitation occurs at a still later moment of the operating cycle, the pawl 144 engages the tooth 114. When no excitation of switching magnet SM occurs during the cycle, the pawl 144 becomes entrained by the dog pin 116. In this manner, depending upon the moment of excitation of magnet SM, the paper tape 20 is advanced by 1, 9, 26 or 30 positional units or value positions. By exchanging the switching gear 115 by another switching gear having a different tooth arrangement, the feeding travel of the paper tape 20 can be adapted in a simple manner to any particular operating conditions desired.

The intermediate wall 108 carries a pivot pin 148 (Fig. 3) on which a tape-tensioning arm 150 is rotatably mounted. The tensioning arm 150 is biased counterclockwise by a spring 149 and carries two rollers 154 and 155 for guiding the paper tape 20 to be kept in properly tensioned condition. The unperforated paper tape passes from a supply reel 156 (Fig. 2) through a conventional loop-forming device (not illustrated) and thence over direction-cllanging guide rollers 153 (Fig. 2) and 157 (Fig. 3) to the tensioner 150 where a weak leaf spring 158 presses the tape 20 (Fig. 3) against a sleeve 159 seated on the pivot pin 148. Thence the paper tape passes between the above-mentioned guide rollers 154, 155 of the tensioner through the gap of the paper guide 17, 18 in which the tape receives the desired punched holes before it passes over the feed roller 129 and three direction-changing guide rollers 160, 161, 162 (Figs. 3, 2) to a take-up reel 163. The paper tape 20, thus guided, has its transport holes 30 (Fig. 6) engaged by the sprocket bosses 128 of feed roller 129 and, by means of the guide roller 160, is caused to firmly rest against a peripheral portion of the feed roller 129. Due to the spring-biased action of the tensioning arm 150, the tape 20 is kept taut between the guide plates 17 and 18 so that the punching operation still to be described produces accurate perforations in the tape. If the tape 20, due to any fault or defect, becomes torn, the tension of the spring 149 suflices for tensioning arm 150 tofully tear the tape 20 apart. Then the tensioning arm 150, under the force of its spring 149, rotates counter-clockwise about its pivot pin 148, and the guide roller 154 on arm 150 hits upon, and actuates, a reversing switch Ut (Figs. 3, 10) mounted on the machine frame structure by means of a supporting angle piece 164. In the normal position of reversing switch Ut, shown in Fig. 3, a normally closed contact Ut1 closes the circuit of an indicator lamp 180 (Fig. 10). In the actuated condition, a normally open contant U12 of the switch closes the circuits of another indicator lamp 181 (Fig. 10) and in this manner signals the occurrence of fault and destruction of the paper tape 20.

A bearing plate 166 (Fig. 2) extends parallel to the side wall 2 and is connected therewith by means of spacer bolts 165. Journalled between side wall 2 and plate 166 are shafts 167, 168 on which the tape-supply and take-up reels 156 and 163 respectively are rotatably secured so as to readily permit a rapid exchange of the reels in known manner. A spur gear 170 (Fig. 2) firmly mounted on the main control shaft 54 meshes with a spur gear 171 rigidly secured to the reel shaft 168 and drives the take-up reel 163 by means of a frictional slip clutch (not illustrated) so that the paper tape 20, passing from the supply reel 129 through the paper guide 17, 18 to the take-up reel, is wound up upon reel 163 under slight tension.

To permit inserting a new paper tape 20 into the marking apparatus, a setting-up key 174 (Fig. 3) is slidably mounted in side wall 2 and a plate 165 and is longitudinally displaceable relative thereto. The shank 175 of key 174 carries two lateral pins 176, 177. When key 174 is being depressed, the pin 176 acts upon a contact spring 173 which closes a switch contact 115. At the same time the pin 177 travels along an inclined edge of a projection 178 of a latching stirrup 179 which is rotatably mounted on the side wall 2 and normally held by a spring 172 in the position shown in Fig. 3. As soon as pin 177 catches behind the projection 178, the key 174 is latched in the depressed position. As will be explained below, the closing of contact :15 (Figs. 3, l0) releases a single revolution of the main control shaft 54 of the marking apparatus. Shortly before termination of this revolution, the latching stirrup 179 is turned counter-clockwise (in a manner not illustrated), so that the latch pin 177 is released and spring 173 returns the key;. 174-into the offposition shown in Fig.3. This has the :eife ct. of opening the, elecgtric cireuit previously closed, b

by contact :15. b b

The markingapparatusis further provided with a plug.- contact, assembly of the knifeacontact type 152 (Fig. .2) of conventional,designwhich can be plugged together with a mating socket assembly by means of which the marking apparatus is eonnect ed. ,byelectric leads with,

the accountingmachine in accordance with the circuit connections shown in Fig. 10 and described below.

As mentioned, .the translating assembly 600 (Figs. 7, 8) is conneeted through spur gears 606 with the keyboard controlled shaftassembly 601 (Figs. 7, 9) of the accounting machine. In the embodiment chosen for illustration, a rotating type of translating device 600 is shown, although the device. can readily be substituted by other known selector switches having linear motion of the movable selector contacts. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the spur gears 606 meshes with an individual spu-r gear 608 rotatably mountedon a shaft has one end stationarily mounted whereas the other end I is in frictional sliding contact with the metal body of contact arm 610.

As mentioned above, the amounts, control commands or other data posted into the keyboard of the accounting machine (Fig. 9) are transferred bythe shaft assembly 601-to thefspur gears 606 and are thus translated by device600' (Figs. 7, 8) into corresponding electriccircuit connections which remain memorized within the translating device. This transfer from the keyboard to the shaft assembly 601 is effected by means of intermediate switching mechanisms 603 (Fig. 9) which are only schematically illustrated and not further described herein because they are well known and their particular design is not essential to the present invention. The sameswitching mechanism also serves to transfer the posted data into the registering, computing and printing devices of the machine, some of the necessary transferring mechanisms being illustrated in the lower part of Fig. 9 but not furthen described herein, also because they need not differ from devices conventionally used for such purposes and are not essential to the invention proper. However, if desired, reference maybe had to US. Patent 2,279,858. As far as the present invention is concerned, it suifices to understand thatthe depression of any key in the key board of the machine causes a corresponding rotational adjustment of the correlated spur gear 606 by operation of the key-controlled rotation of the spur gear 605. As a result the spur gear606, meshing with the spur gear 608 (Fig. 7) of the translating device 600 causes a corresponding rotational displacement of the contact arm 610. Consequently, any data posted by means of the amount keys, account-number keys and computer selecting keys of the keyboard are translated bymeans of the contact arms 610 (denoted in Fig. 10 by 610a, 6101),

6100) which are set into engagement with a selected one of the bank contacts 612 to 622 (Figs. 7, 8) thus establishing a selected electric circuit connection. As mentioned, the keys of the control-key 'bank shown in Fig. 9

cooperate with switch contacts 21 to t8 (Fig. 10) which are closed or opened when these keys aredepressed and thus also establish selected electric circuit connections for the purpose of controlling or programming themachine operation as will be more fully described below.

The serial-number counter of themac hine is likewise provided ,witha contact device which, similar to the above-described contactpdevice. for the keyboard of the machine, translates the, setting of the counter mto an electric eircuit connec tion, as will also ,bedescribedbelow,

with reference to the electric system of the machine.

The punched tape 20,.illustrated in Fig. 6, embodies,-, theinternationalfive-element code of which only a few.- code combinations, required for understandingthe inven-,.. tion, are illustrated;. namely the code forthe numbers 0 to 9 as well as the, carriage return. signal ,WgR, the carry-over character K, and a character F whichdenotes invariable or constant data, Each individual zone of the punched tape, which subsequently transfers itscon tents into a machine that is controlled by the punched tape to produce an individuahpunched card, is limited. by the carriageareturn character WgR. Operating, for instance, with Hollerith punched cards, such a zone may,

comprise a maximum of I value positions. Fig. 6 shows a customary division of a tape zone into a group I and a group II. The account number, for reasons explained. below, is assigned to group I. The punched,

holes assigned to the fconstantportion of the zone are punched into the tape in a separate machine operation, this being done only once for each. series of punched cards. For-completeness, it may be mentioned that the. V data appertaining to the constant portion, such as the number of a branch ofllce and the calendar date, are

punched into each card of the particular series by means of the punched-card producing machine. The number designating a branch ofiice is permanently wired within the marking appara us, whereas the calendar date is posted into, the accounting machine by hand.

Electric system machine. In the circuit diagram, the contact. arms 610 (Figs. 7, 8) of the translating device-600 are divided in a group of contact arms 610a assigned to the keyboard field for posting the amounts and the account number, i a group of contact arms 610k assigned to the serialnumber counter, andcontact arms 610a assigned to the banks of adding computers. The contact arms 6100 are each joined with a control cam AK for closing a nor mally open switch contact Stl or St2.. -A number of" electric leads 510m 519, hereinafter called value leads, connect the icunent distributor IV (Figs. 1, 10) with the individual stationary bank contacts of the translating. device 600 correlated to the amount-keyboard field, the: adding computer banks, and the serial-number counter...

The contact arms. 610a,. 6101: are connected by valueleads 520. to 531' with respective switching magnets 53 through the contact sets k1 to k30 of a constant-data control relay KR and through the contact sets b1 to k25 of an amount relay BR,Xand through the contact sets [1 to 111 .of .a serial-number relayLR. .The switching magnets53, as described above withreference to Fig. 1,

notedby. 53r, and themagnee assigned to the plus or" minussign iedenoted by 53v;

As mentioned, the setting-up key 174 (Fig. 3), when depressed, closes the contact :15 (Figs. 3, 10). Contact :15 then energizes a key relay TR (Fig. 10) which closes its normally open contacts e1, e2 and opens the normally closed contact e4. Two control cams 200, 201 (Figs. 10, 2) mounted on the main control shaft 54, are effective during an operating cycle of the marking apparatus to close respective contacts s1 and s3 (Fig. 10). Contact s1 when closed, applies voltage through a lead 560 and a self-holding contact k3 of the constants-registering relay KR (Fig. 10).

Also as described, the switching lever 84 (Fig. 5), mounted on a supporting angle 82 of control head 62, closes a contact :17 (Figs. 5, when turned fully out of normal position. The contact t17 then closes the circuit of a transport stopping magnet TVM (Fig. 10).

The above-mentioned reversing contact Ut (Fig. 3) is connected according to Fig. 10 into the circuit of an indicating device in such a manner that when the normally closed contact Utl lights a green indicator lamp 180 and that, when contact U12 is closed, a red indicator lamp 181 is lit.

The main control shaft 13 (Fig. 10, upper right) of the account machine to be served by the marking apparatus carries a cam switch with two cams MKI, MKZ. For performing a registering operation, these two cams, at the proper time, close the appertaining contacts s6 and s8 thus applying voltage through a lead 561 to the clutch magnet KM (Figs. 10, 1) and also applying voltage through a lead 562 to a contactor magnet RM (Fig. 10). As described, the clutch magnet KM turns the latch lever 8 (Fig. l) clockwise and thereby releases the single-turn clutch 151 (Fig. 2). The contactor magnet RM (Fig. 10) when energized, closes a switch ml which, if desired, may consist of a mercury-type switch. Switch m1 thereby completes the energizing circuit of the drive motor M (Figs. 10, 1). Current is then supplied to the motor M through a connector plug P from a suitable current supply line.

The operation of the marking device described in the foregoing is as follows:

Setting-up operation To prepare the marking apparatus for operation, the paper tape 20 is pulled manually off the supply reel 156 (Fig. 2) and is passed over the direction-changing rollers 153, 157, 159 (Fig. 3) and over the guide rollers 154, 152, thence between the plates 17 and 18 to feed roller 129 and over the direction-changing rollers 160, 161, 162 (Fig. 2) to the take-up reel 163. Thereafter the setting-up key 174 is depressed by the operator and becomes locked in depressed position by operation of the latching stirrup 179. The key relay TR (Fig. 10) receives voltage through the contact now closed by the setting-up key 174. Relay TR closes its contacts e1, e2 and opens contact e4. Contact 24 disconnects the contact arm 68 of the pulse distributor IV from the plus lead 533 (Fig. 10).

The closed contacts el and e2 of relay TR apply voltage to the clutch magnet KM and the contactor magnet RM. Clutch magnet KM turns the latch lever 8 (Fig. 1) clockwise thus releasing the single-turn clutch 151, and contactor magnet RM closes the energizing circuit of drive motor M at contact m1 (Fig. 10). Now the main control shaft 54 of the marking apparatus is driven from motor M through worm gear 6 (Fig. 1) and spur gears 5, 3 for the duration of a single revolution of shaft 54. The spur gears 43, 44 (Fig. 2) on main control shaft 54 now drive the respective spur gears 41, 42 which, by action of the two connecting rods 69, move the control heads 61, 62 toward the right relative to Fig. 1. Since the selector bars 32 are connected with the control heads 61, 62 by springs 35, the bars also travel toward the 12 right. At the same time, the cams 200, 201 (Figs. 2, 10) on main control shaft 54 close the contacts s1, s3. However, the voltage pulses issuing from these contacts remain ineffective because neither the contact e4 of relay TR nor the contact k3 of the constants-registering relay KR (Fig. 10) are closed. Consequently, the selector bars 32 can freely follow the travel of control heads 61, 62

into the outermost right-hand position so that the projections 34 of selector bars 32, serving for the selection of the punching plungers 28 (Figs. 2, 1), are moved beyond the active range into an inactive end position.

During the counter-clockwise single-turn revolution of main control shaft 54 the rollers 12 (Fig. 1) of cams 9 reach the legs 14 of respective drive levers 11 and turn these levers clockwise. The legs 21 then lift the tape guide plate 17, 18 together with the paper tape 20 passing between the plates 17 and 18. Since all projections 34 of the selector bars 32 now occupy an inactive position, all punching plungers 28 are lifted together with the plates 17, 18 and the tape 20. However, the punching plungers 29 (Fig. 2) which by means of plate 27 (Fig. l) are rigidly mounted on plate 25, cannot participate in the lifting movement and therefore punch through the paper tape 20. In this manner, the tape between guide plates 17, 18 is provided with a series of transport holes 30 (Fig. 6). As the main control shaft 54 of the marking device continues its rotary movement, the cams 9 (Fig. 1), now acting upon the respective rollers 16 of legs 15, turn the drive levers 11 counter-clockwise and return the guide plates 17, 18 to the lowermost position illustrated in Fig. 1, so that the punched tape 20 is stripped off the punching plungers 29.

Simultaneously, and in the manner already described, the bevel gears 99, (Fig. 2) and the drive lever 103 operate the feeder device for the punched tape 20. Since the portion of tape 20 that engages the feed roller 129 does not yet have transport holes 30, the revolution of feed roller 129 is without effect upon the paper tape 20; but the tape 20 is moved along the punching plungers by means of the take-up reel 174 (Fig. 3) which is driven by the spur gears 170, 171, so that the sprocket bosses 128 of feed roller 129 can enter into the transport holes 30 just produced.

Shortly before the revolution of the main control shaft 54 is completed the latching stirrup 179 is turned in opposition to the pulling force of spring 172 and releases the setting-up key 174. This opens the contact t15 so that the energizing circuit of key relay TR is interrupted with the result of disconnecting the magnets KM and RM from the voltage source so that the main control shaft 54 is arrested upon completion of 360 revolution. After repeating the just-described setting-up operation by again actuating the setting-up key 174, the apparatus is ready for the performance of accounting operations.

Normal accounting If the accounting machine with which the marking apparatus according to the invention is being used is of the type having a single keyboard field for posting account numbers as well as value-denoting amounts, then the accounting operation must be commenced by first posting the account number into the keyboard. When this is done, a machine run is initiated by actuating the key Acct. No. in the control-key bank (Fig. 9) of the accounting machine. The accounting machine now opcrates in the known manner to register the posted data with the effect that the gears 606 (Fig. 7) mounted upon the shaft system 601 of the machine are angularly displaced, thus also rotating the spur gears 608 and the contact arms 610a (Fig. 10) to an extent correspond ing to the control command given by the depressed key. The Acct. No. key also closes the contact t6 so that the storer magnet SpM is energized through lead 535 and turns the latch lever 92 (Fig. 1) into latching position. TheTotal and Subtotal keys (Fig. '9) of the con-' trol-key bank are prqvided with normally closed contacts t2 and 11 (Fig. 10). The closed contacts t2, t1 apply voltage through a lead 548 to the cam-switch.contactsv s6, s8 which are normally open bllt are closedyat the proper moment by the cams MKI, MK2 mounted on the maincontroi shaft 13 of the accounting machine. The contacts s6, s8 then apply voltage in rapid sequence through lead 561 to the clutch control magnet KM, and through lead 562 to the contactor magnetRM whereby the single-turn clutch 151 is released, for, operation and the drive motor M is energized. The main control shaft 54 ofthemarking apparatus-is again driven a single revolution so that the control heads 61, 62 againmoveto Y the outermost right-hand, position. relative to Fig. .1.

During their travel, the angle,piece,94 fastened to the control head 62 (Fig. 1) catches behind the shoulder recess 92a of latching lever 92 now in active position.

At the same time, the lever, 84 pivoted on control head 1 62 (Fig. closes thecontact r17 (Figs. 5, so that the transport stopping magnet TVM is excited and places lever 140 (Fig. 4.) against the extension 142 of lever 131.

The cams 200, 201 on the revolving main control shaft 54 again close the contacts s1, .93 (Fig. 10, lowerright) which apply voltage throughlead 533 and;closed con tact e4 to contact arm 68 of pulse distributor IV, whereas the switching pulse of lead 560 again remains without effect.

During movement of the control heads 61, 62 intothe outermost right-handposition (Fig. 1), the appertaining selector bars 32 also travel toward the right Simultai 103, (Fig. 3) to the tape feed roller, 129,- remains inefa fective because, due, to the excitation of transport stopping magnet TVM, the displaced angular lever 140 (Fig. l

neously, the rack 65 (Fig. l) fastened to the control head 61, drives the contact arm 68 of the pulse distributor IV in the clockwisedirection so that the voltage pulses from 1 lead 533 (Fig. 10) are supplied to the value leads ,510 to 5119. Consequently, while the selector bars 32 assigned to registering the account number, these particular bars being denoted by 324 in Fig. 3, are moved. along the respective stop pawls 49,those control magnets punched tape 20 is strippedofi the punching plungers.

28, as (Fig. 2

Simultaneously withthe punching of account-numben holes and the transporting perforations, a hole 203 (Fig. 6) is punched into the tape Ltd which, as ,mentioned above, serves for controlling the return motion of a carriage in a punched card producing machine to be subsequently controlled by the tape. The punching of the special hole 2% is controlled by selectorbar 32: (Fig. 3).

is, when contact arm 68 of pulse distributor IV, passes over the seventhbank contact, the stop control magnet 53? (Fig. ,10) for selector bar 32r receives voltage, through leads 516 and 539, closed contact, 1e23, lead 540,

closed contact 1222 and lead 541.

The eighth bank contactof pulse distributor IV is assigned to the code hole combination 7. When the contact arm of the pulse distributor. IV passes over, this i eighth, contact, the switching magnet SM receives a voltage pulse through leads 517 and 535, closed contact k30, lead .532, closed contact t9 and lead536. MagnetSM now turns the switchingnlatch pawl 144 (Fig. 3) toward switching gear 115.;

During registering of the account number, the driving.

motion, transferred from main control shaft 54 through the bevel gears 99, 1% (Fig. 2) and the connecting rod 4) prevents displacement of the angular lever 131. The

above-mentioned excitation of the switching magnet SM.

and the resulting displacement-of the switching lever 144 therefore remain likewise without efiect upon the feed of tape 20.

During the.- interval of time in which the punching deviceis returnedto ,thebase position, the control head 53d (Fig. 10) that correspond to the posted account 1 number receive pulses ina given time sequence from the pulse distributor IV. These pulses are applied through the displaced contact arms610a, leads 524 to 5'31, the normally closed contacts of the constantsregistering relay KR and the amount relay BR, and leads 3 563 to 570 or 550 to 554. .The energized magnets'53d then stopthe respective selector bars 32b in the abovedescribed manner so that the respective series of projections 34 occupy respectively different. positions (Fig. 1)

relative to the punching plungers 28. Consequently the stop positions of the projections 34 on selector bars 32d represent an image of the individual account-number digits posted into the keyboard. The stopping of the.

selectors bars 3211 by pawls 49 takes place in an irregular sequence in accordance with the numbers 6, 5, 4, 8, l,

0, 2, 7, 3, 9. However, the other. selector bars 32a;

32b, 320 (Fig. 3) assigned to the registering of amounts, the selection of computer mechanisms andthe registering 1 of a consecutive serial-number, follow the travel of control head 61, 62 to the uttermost right-hand limit (Fig.

1) so that they all reach an inactive position Where they remain without efiect upon thepunching plungers 28; During further movement of the main control shaft 54, the drive levers 11 (Fig. 1) raise the guide 17, 18 and the tape 20 as well as the punching plungers 28 toward punching the desired code combination ,of holes into the tape. At the same time, the tape 20 is also provided. with transport holes 30 in the manner already described,

Thereafter, the drive levers 11 return the guide plates 17, 18 into the positionshown. in Fig.,.1 so that the 61 and, through rack 65, also the pulse distributor 1v. j

are returned to base position. The main control shaft 54 then terminates its single revolution, and the singleturn clutch 154 .disconnects the motor M., The,n1ain control. shaft 13 of the accounting machine to be served. has likewise completed its revolution and has released;

all previously depressed keys of the keyboard.

For continuing the accounting operation, usuallycom posed of several individual transactions, it is now .necessary to post into the keyboard the amount of the particular business transaction and the selection of the desired adding mechanisms or computers. Thereafter, for 1 normal accounting operation, the next machine run is initiated by depressing the Normal key (Fig. 9). The

shaft system 601 and the spur gears 606 (Figs. 9, 7) are now again active to displace the contact arms. 61%,

. 6105 of the translating device in accordance .with the posted data. The actuation of the Normal key also-has the efiect of closing the contact t3 (Fig. 10).. This, places voltage upon the amountrelay BR and the serial- 7 number relay LR through lead 537, closed contact t8 and lead 538. Relay BR closes its contacts b1, b4, b6, I110, 1713, M6, Z119, Z223 and opens the normally closed contacts b3, b6, 19, 1212, M5, 1218, I221, b22, I225. Relay LR closes contacts 11 to 111. The output leads 524 to it 531 ofthe keyboard .field are now connected through leads 580 to 587with the control magnets. 53a assigned to the registration of amounts. At the same time, the

. output leads 520 to 523 of the serial-number counter are connected with the correlated control magnets 53c,

and the output leads 542,543 of the computer banks are connected with the correlated control magnetsSSd. Depending upon whichadding-mechanism key has been actuated, either. the contact S11 or the contact S12 (Fig;

10) is closed during movement of the switchingmechanisms 603. (Fig. 9).. During thecontinuing rotation of the main control shaft 13 in the accounting machine, the cams ;-MK 1,. MKZ again close. the contact, s6, ,s8

The voltage .pulse for stopping the bar,32r is likewise produced by-the pulse distributor IV. That,

15 and thus supply Voltage through leads 561, 562 to re spective magnets KM, RM. As a result, the single-turn clutch 151 initiates another single revolution of the main control shaft 54- in the marking apparatus as already described. Now, the contacts s1 and s3 are again closed by cams 200 and 201 so that contact arm 68 of pulse distributor IV receives voltage through lead 533 and closed contact e4, while the switching pulse through lead 560 again remains inefiective.

The operation of pulse distributor IV, occurring simultaneously with the displacing motion of control head 61, causes the received voltage pulses to pass through the displaced contact arms 610a, 610b, 6100 and, for instance, the closed contact Stl of translating device 600, thence through the switched contacts of amount relay BR and serial-number relay LR so as to sequentially excite the electromagnets 53a, 53b, 53c and 53v for the respective groups of selector bars 32a, 32b, 32c, 32v which serve, respectively, for registering the amount, the serial-number, the selected computer number, and the (plus or minus) sign. As a result, and as described, the selector bars 32, traveling by the stop pawls 49, are arrested in accordance with the data posted into the amount-key field and the computer selection keys. During this operation, the fourth switching pulse of pulse distributor IV is passed through the leads 513 and 544, the contact S11 closed by the operation of the computer switching mechanism of the accounting machine, thence through leads 545 and 546, closed contact k7 of relay KR, and lead 547 to the control magnet 53v. Control magnet 53v then stops the appertaining selector bar 32v so that the credit or debit (plus or minus) sign of the posted amount is also entered into the marking apparatus.

However, if during the operation described in the last preceding paragraph the contact S12 is closed instead of the contact Stl, then the first switching pulse of pulse distributor IV already passes through leads 510, 591 and 546, closed contact k7 and lead 547 to the control magnet 53v so that the opposite sign is registered. Now, the seventh switching pulse of pulse distributor IV, which causes production of the carriage-return symbol 203 (Fig. 6), is ineffective because the contact Z122 of amount relay BR is open. The eighth switching pulse of the pulse distributor IV passes through leads 517 and 535, closed contact k30, lead 532, closed contact t9 and lead 536 to switching magnet SM and causes it to turn switching pawl 144 (Fig. 3) into active position.

During displacement of the control head 61 from starting to end position, the control head 62 is entrained a short distance so that the released latching lever 92 can drop under its own weight into the starting position shown in Fig. 1. At the same time, the angular lever 83 (Fig. which during forward travel has its leg 78 pulled by spring 85 against stop 79, abuts against the projection 80 of lever 84 (Fig. 5) and thereby turns lever 84 into the inactive position shown at 84a in Fig. 5. Consequently, the contact :17 opens the energizing circuit of transport stopping magnet TVM so that spring 139 moves the angular lever 140 (Fig. 4) into inactive position. As a result, the driving motion imparted by rod 103 (Fig. 3) to the feeder device for tape 20 can become effective, the amount of resulting tape feed being determined by the engagement of pawl 144 with the tooth 114 of switching gear 115.

After tape 20 is punched in the manner described above, the connecting rod 69 (Fig. 2) returns the control head 61 and, by means of springs 91, also the control head 62 into the starting position. During punching of the amounts and of the designation of the selected computers caused by the magnets 53a, 53b, 53c, 53v, the punching plungers 28 controlled by the magnets 53d assigned to the account number and controlled by the magnet 53r assigned to the carriage-return character, enter into theholes punched by the same plungers during the preced- Stack accounting, registering of invariables, and transfers Stack accounting means a series of accounting operations all relating to one and the same account. In such a case the account number is posted into the machine only once, namely at the beginning of the entire accounting series. After completion of the machine run for registering the account number, which takes place in the manner described above, the series of accounting operations is initiated by depressing the control key Stack (Fig. 9). The Stack key closes the contacts t4 and t5 (Fig. 10). Closed contact t4 applies voltage through lead 537, closed contact t8 and lead 533 to the amount relay BR and the serial-number relay LR. The closed contact t5 applies voltage through leads 589 and 534 to the storer relay StM. Relay StM (Fig. 1) turns the latch lever 92 into latching position. The accounting opertion takes place in the same manner as described above for normal accounting, except that the storer might StM, remaining excited, prevents a return travel of control head 62. Therefore, the account number, previously entered, remains preserved within the marking apparatus until the stack accounting is terminated by a normal accounting operation, that is by actuation of the control key Normal.

When the first-posted amount is registered, the tape feeding motion, previously interrupted by the switching lever 84 of control head 62 as described above, is terminated so that the tape 20, after each registering of an amount and the conjoint registering of the account number, is advanced by the eighth switching pulse of pulse distributor IV in the manner already described.

At the end of an accounting series or of a business day, the invariable data or constant characters such as the calendar date and the branch ofiice number, are punched into the tape 20. For this purpose, the calendar date is set in the conventional manner, for instance on the keyboard of the accounting machine, whereas the branch-office number is fixed Within the marking apparatus where it is represented by an electric circuit or relay connection in the conventional manner (not illustrated). A machine run is initiated by actuating the control key Const. (Fig. 9). This key, when depressed, closes a contact t7 (Fig. 10) which applies voltage to the constants-registering relay KR through lead 556. Relay KR closes its contacts k3, k10, k13, k16, k25, k29 and opens its contacts k1, k5, k7, k9, k11, k15, k18, k22, k23, k27, and k30. This correlates the control magnet 53d through the leads 550 to 554 to the keyboard of the accounting machine.

The machine operation is the same as described above for the preceding registering operations, except that the cam 201 of the main control shaft 54 in the marking apparatus, by closing the contact s3, keeps the self-holding circuit of relay KR closed through lead 560 and closed contact k3. In this case, the fifth switching pulse of the pulse distributor IV is used as a tape feeding pulse. This pulse is supplied to switching magnet SM through leads 514 and 557, closed contact k29, lead 532, closed contact 19 and lead 536. Switching magnet SM then causes pawl 144 to move into tooth 113 of switching gear 115. Consequently, after the punching operation is terminated, the feed travel of tape 20 is discontinued, in accordance with the smaller number of punched'value positions, at an earlier moment of the 17 operating cycle than was the case during normal accountinjg p at For performing a transfer or carry-over, the control key Transf. (Fig. 9) is to be depressed. This closes contacts I and i1 1. ('Fig. 10) and opens contact t9. Keyrelay TR picks up over closed contact -t11 and lead lead 592. Contacts el and e2 of relay TR now initiate a single revolution of the main control shaft 54 in the marking apparatus, whilecontact e4 opens and thus disconnects the pulse distributor IV from the voltage supplying lead 543. The switching magnet SM, energized through lead 536 by the closing of contact t1 0, vimmediatelyturnspawl 144 (Fig. 3) into the tooth division 1 12 of switching gear 115.

At the same time, contact 111 closes the energizing circuit of control magnet 535' through lead 593. Control magnet 53s stops the appertaining selector bar 32s (Fig. 3 in active position while 'all other selector bars 32, traveling with the control'heads .61 and 62, are moved to their respective inactive limit positions. Since the storer magnet SIM remains unexcited, bothcontrol heads 61 and 62 are returned to the startingposition during the further course of the machine run.

During the operating cycle of the marking device described above, the tape 20, aside from receiving the transport holes 30, is also provided with a transfer character K (Fig. 6) and since the punching of this character comprises but a single value position, the feeding transport of the tape 20 is also limited to a single value position, this being due to the fact that the latch pawl 144 (Fig. 3), cooperating with tooth division 112 of gear 115, prevents a further driving motion of feed roller 129.

The transferkey (Transf. in Fig. 9) remains blocked indepressed position in the conventional manner so that the above-described circuits are maintained until shortly before termination of the machine run. If, at the end of an accounting series, an additional number of transport holes 30 are to be produced, as may be necessary for subsequently inserting the punched tape into a punchedcard producing machine, then it is merely necessary to actuate the setting-up key 174 (Figs. 3, 10) once or twice. This has the effect of having a multiplicity of additional transport holes 30 punched into the tape 20 in the manner already explained.

The above-described machine operations become simplified if the accounting machine being used is of the type having separate keyboard fields for posting account numbers and amounts respectively. Since all data required for a registering operation can be posted into the dualfield keyboard of the machine, all control magnets 53 can be made to operate during the forward travel of the control heads 61, 62 so that all magnitudes and characters posted into the keyboard of the accounting machine are simultaneously punched into the tape 20. For that reason, the electric circuits for energizing the amount relay BR and the serial-number relay LR, as well as the circuits for energizing the storer magnet StM and the transport stopping magnet TVM, can be made inactive by means of suitable, conventional circuit components (not illustrated) so that a separate machine run need be used only for registering the invariable characters by energizing the constants-registering relay KR. The switching movements of the individual machine components of the marking apparatus take place in the same manner as described above with reference to normal accounting.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art upon a study of this disclosure, that my invention permits of various modifications with respect to mechanical components and electric circuitry, without departing from the essential features of the invention and within the scope of the claims annexed hereto.

I claim:

1. Marking apparatus for punching a code tape to produce groups of coded hole combinations representative of an {accounting transaction, each hole group occupying one of several consecutive portions along the tape, coniprising a multiplicity of punching plungers selectively operable to punch said'respective hole combinations, displaceable selector barseach having a number of projections aligned in the direction of bar displacement and engageable with selected ones of said plungers depending upon the active position occupied by said bar, said projections of each selector bar being sequentially engageable with respectively different combinations of said plungers, control mechanism drivingly connected with said respective bars for simultaneously displacing them from a starting position through a sequence of active positions into an inactive position, a multiplicity of stop means engageable with said respective bars, each stop means having an electric control circuit for stopping, when energized, one of said respective bars in a selected active position, an electric distributor connected with said mechanism: means to operate in synchronism with the displacing "travel of said bars, said distributor having distributor contacts sequentially connected with said respective control circuits in an irregular sequence, avoltage source, a multiplicity of selectively settable dataentering means correlated to said respective bars, each data-entering means connecting said voltage source -with one of said respective control circuits through one of-said respective distributor contacts only when said distributor passes througha position indicative of the data set into said data-entering means, whereby all plungers needed for punching a complete tape portion are simultaneously selected for operation by the resulting combination of settings of said multiplicity of bars, and punch control means for causing all selected plungers to simultaneously punch said tape portion.

2. "In tape marking apparatus according to claim 1, said control mechanism for displacing -said selector bars from a starting position through a sequence of plungerse lecting active positions having periodic motion for returning said bars back to said starting position in dependonce upon operation of said punch control means; and said control mechanism comprising retaining means en- 'gageable with a number of the selectively displaced selector bars and selectively operable to retain each of said latter bars in the selected active position, whereby during subsequent marking operations only the other selector bars are again displaced to selected positions.

3. In tape marking apparatus according to claim 1, said control mechanism for displacing said selector bars comprising two control heads jointly reciproc'able and resiliently connected with respectively different groups of said selector bars for displacing them from said starting position along said plungers and subsequently returning said bars back to said starting position, and a holding device engageable with one of said control heads for arresting it in displaced position whereby the selectively displaced selector bars of the one bar group connected with said one control head are retained in the selected positions while the bars of the other group return to said starting position.

4. Tape marking apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a tape guide having two mutually spaced perforated plates forming an intermediate slot to be traversed by the tape to be punched, said tape guide being located beneath said plungers and displaceable upwardly toward said plungers, guide means on which said plungers are mounted, said plungers being upwardly 'diisplaceable in said guide means, said selector bars having said projections located above said plungers, said punch control means being linked with said tape guide for lifting it, whereby those plungers that abut against said projections are stopped from. upward movement and punch through the tape in said tape guide whereas the other plungers are lifted by the tape, and additional plungers stationarily mounted above said tape guide to punch transport holes into the tape in said guide during each lifting motion of said guide.

5. Marking apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a group of additional punching plungers for punching a row of transport holes into the tape, said transporthole plungers being normally operable by said punch control means together with said code-hole plungers, and selectively operable control means for causing said punch control means to operate said transport-hole plungers independently of said code-hole plungers.

v 6. Marking apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a group of additional punching plungers for punching a row of transport holes into the tape, said transport-hole plungers being normally operable by said punch control meanstogether with said code-hole plungers, a switch, a relay connected with said switch to be controlled thereby, said relay being connected with said respective control circuits for interrupting them when said switch is actuated, said control mechanism being electrically connected with said relay to be controlled thereby to operate the apparatus when said switch is actuated, whereby actuation of said switch causes said control mechanism to displace all said selector bars to inactive position while causing only said transport-hole plungers to punch the tape.

7. Marking apparatus for punching a tape to produce groups of hole combinations representative of respectively different digit values in the international five-unit code, comprising a multiplicity of punching plungers selectively operable to punch said respective hole combinations, displaceable selector bars each having a number of projections aligned in the direction of bar displacement and engageable with selected ones of said plungers depending upon the active position occupied by said bar, said projections of each selector bar having nonuniform Width and mutual spacing in the displacing direction and being sequentially engageable with the respective plunger combinations in the irregular numerical sequence 65-4--8-l--0279-3, control mechanism drivingly connected with said respective bars for simultaneously displacing them from a starting position through a sequence of active positions into an inactive position, a multiplicity of stop means engageable with said respective bars for stopping said respective bars in a selected one of said active positions, an electric distributor switch connected with said control mechanism to be driven in synchronism with the displacing travel of said bars, said distributor switch having selector contacts connected electrically with said respective stop means in said irregular sequence, a voltage source, and a multiplicity of selectively operable value-entering means correlated to said respective bars, each value-entering means connecting said voltage source with one of said respective stop means through one of said contacts only when said distributor switch passes through the sequential posi- (tion corresponding to the value entered into said valueentering means.

8. Marking apparatus for providing a tape with transport holes and with groups of coded hole combinations representative of an accounting transaction which includes account numbers, amounts and special characters,

each of said hole-combination groups occupying one of several consecutive portions respectively of the tape, cornprising a multiplicity of punching plungers selectively operable to punch said respective hole combinations,

displaceable selector bars each having a number of pro- I jections aligned in the direction of bar displacement and engageable with selected ones of said plungers depending upon the active position occupied by said bar, -a multiplicity of stop means engageable with said respective bars for stopping said respective bars in a selected one of said tions of each tape portion are simultaneously selected for operation by the resulting settings of said respective series of projections, punch control means for causing all selected plungers to simultaneously punch all hole combinations required in said tape portion, tape guide means for passing the tape along said plungers, a feed roller engageable with the tape for advancing it through said guide means, a drive mechanism comprising a drive shaft, a transmission drivingly connecting said shaft with said feed roller, a ratchet gear firmly secured on said shafit, and a switching mechanism journalled on said shaft and having pawl means engageable with said ratchet gear for driving it, said drive mechanism comprising a wind-up spring, a bushing rotatably seated upon said drive shaft, said spring having one end connected with said bushing and having the other end stationarily secured, said bushing forming part of said switching mechanism for imparting driving motion to said pawl means and ratchet gear, and said transmission having a spur gear rigidly secured to said drive shaft for transmitting the rotary motion of said ratchet gear to said teed roller.

9. Marking apparatus for providing a tape with transport holes and with groups of coded hole combinations representative of an accounting transaction which includes account numbers, amounts and special characters, each of said hole-combination groups occupying one of several consecutive portions respectively of the tape, comprising a multiplicity of punching plungers selectively 0perable to punch said respective hole combinations, displaceable selector bars each having a number of projections aligned in the direction of bar displacement and engageable with selected ones of said plungers depending upon the active position occupied by said bar, a multiplicity of stop means engageable with said respective bars for stopping said respective bars in a selected one of said active positions, electric distributor switch means operable in synchronism with the travel motion of said bars and having sequentially operating .contact means electrically connected with said respective stop means for operating said stop means in a given sequence during said bar travel, whereby the punching plungers in all value positions of each tape portion are simultaneously selected for operation by the resulting settings of said respective series of projections, punch control means for causing all selected plungers to simul' taneously punch all hole combinations required in said tape portion, tape guide means for passing the tape along said plungers, a feed roller engageable with the tape for advancing it through said guide means, a drive mechanism comprising a drive shaft, a transmission drivingly connecting said shaft with said feed roller, a ratchet gear firmly secured on said shaft, and a switching mechanism journalled on said shaft and having pawl means engageable with said ratchet gear for driving it, a tape-feed stopping device comprising a locking gear coaxially joined with said tape feed roller, a locking lever engageable with said locking gear for stopping said feed roller, and control means connecting said locking lever with said switching mechanism for causing, when active, said locking lever to be moved by said switching mechanism into stopping engagement with said locking gear.

10. In marking apparatus according to claim 9, said control means for said locking lever comprising a switching gear coaxially mounted on said drive shaft and forming part of said switching mechanism, said switching gear having peripherally aligned teeth of different peripheral spacing, a switching pawl mounted on said locking lever and selectively engageable with said respective teeth for moving said switching lever at respectively different moments of rotation of said switching gear, and electromagnetic control means connected with said switching pawl for moving it into engagement with said respective teeth, whereby said feed roller is stopped at a desired moment by excitation of said control means.

11. In marking apparatus according to claim 10, said senator locking lever being biased toward inactive position, a latch engageable with said locking lever to normally hold it in active position wherein said locking lever engages said locking gear to normally arrest said tape feed roller, a main control shaft, a releasing member geared to said main control shaft and engageable with said latch for displacing it under control by said main control shaft to release said locking lever for movement into said inactive position.

12. In marking apparatus according to claim 11, a control mechanism for displacing said selector bars from a starting position through a sequence of plunger-select ing active positions, said control mechanism comprising two control heads jointly reciprocable and connected with respectively different groups of said selector bars for displacing them from said starting position along said plungers and subsequently returning said bars back to said starting position, a holding device engageable with one of said control heads for arresting it in displaced position whereby the selectively displaced selector bars of the one bar group connected with said one control head are retained in the selected positions While the bars of the other group return to said starting position, a tape-transport control magnet, energizing means electrically connected with said transport control magnet under control by said one control head whereby said magnet is energized when said one control head displaces any bars of said one bar group from said starting position, a movable stop member engageable with said locking lever under control by said transport control magnet for arresting said locking lever in engagement with said stop gear when said magnet is energized so as to prevent said feed roller from advancing the tape despite any releasing operation of said releasing member.

13. Marking apparatus for providing a tape with transport holes and with groups of coded hole combinations representative of an accounting transaction which includes account numbers, amounts and special characters, each of said hole-combination groups occupying oneof several consecutive portions respectively of the tape, comprising a multiplicity of punching plungers selectively operable to punch said respective hole combinations, displaceable selector bars each having a number of projections aligned in the direction of bar displacement and engageable with selected ones of said plungers depending upon the active position occupied by said bar, a multiplicity of stop means engageable with said respective bars for stopping said respective bars in a selected one of said active positions, electric distributor switch means operable in synchronism with the travel motion of said bars and having sequentially operating contacts means electrically connected with said respective stop means for operating said stop means in a given sequence during said bar travel, whereby the punching plungers in all value positions of each tape portion are simultaneously selected for operation by the resulting settings of said respective series of projections, punch control means for causing all selected plungers to simultaneously punch all hole combinations required in said tape portion, tape guide means for passing the tape along said plungers, a feed roller engageable with the tape for advancing it through said guide means, a drive mechanism comprising a drive shaft, a transmission drivingly connecting said shaft with said feed roller, a ratchet gear firmly secured on said shaft, and a switching mechanism journalled on said shaft and having pawl means engageable with said ratchet gear for driving it, said drive mechanism comprising a windup spring device for imparting said driving motion to said pawl means and ratchet gear, a main shaft, a connecting rod linked to said spring device, and a transmission gearing connecting said rod with said main shaft, whereby said spring device is wound up during each operating cycle of the apparatus.

14. Marking apparatus for providing a tape with transport holes and with groups of coded hole combinations representative of an accounting transaction which includes account numbers, amounts and special characters, each of said hole-combination groups occupying one of several consecutive portions respectively of the tape, comprising a multiplicity of punching plungers selectively operable to punch said respective hole combinations, displaceable selector bars each having a number of projections aligned in the direction of bar displacement and engageable with selected ones of said plungers depending upon the active position occupied by said bar, a multiplicity of stop means engageable with said respective bars for stopping said respective bars in a selected one of said active positions, electric distributor switch means operable in synchronism with the travel motion of said bars and having sequentially operating contact means electrically connected with said respective stop means for operating said stop means in a given sequence during said bar travel, whereby the punching plungers in all value positions of each tape portion are simultaneously selected for operation by the resulting settings of said respective series of projections, punch control means for causing all selected plungers to simultaneously punch all hole combinations required in said tape portion, tape guidemeans for passing the tape along said plungers, a feed roller engageable with the tape for advancing it through said guide means, a drive mechanism comprising a drive shaft, a transmission drivingly connecting said shaft with said feed roller, a ratchet gear firmly secured on said shaft, and a switching mechanism journalled on said shaft and having pawl means engageable with said ratchet gear for driving it, said tape guide means comprising a pivotally mounted tensioning lever engageable with the tape at. the side of said punching plungers remote from said feed roller, said tensioning lever being spring biased for maintaining the tape taut at the location of said plungers, a contact device engageable by said tensioning lever only when said,

lever is moved by its spring bias upon occurrence of tape fault, and an electric circuit connected to said contact device for protective response upon occurrence of tape breakage and depletion.

Murray Oct. 18, 1921 Maul June 4, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION" Patent No. 2,886,107 May 12, 1959 Johannes Sobisch It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

In the heading to the printed specification, between lines '7 and 8,

insert Claims priority, application Germany March 31, 1956 Signed and sealed this 22nd day of September 1959.

E Attest:

I T KARL ROBERT c. WATSON Attesting Officer I Conmissioner of Patents 

